Lack of response to abrogation of Art 370 upset me more: IAS officer Gopinathan
Chennai, Sep 4: IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned recently and claimed he did so over "denial of freedom of expression" to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, on Wednesday said more than the scrapping of special status under Article 370 "the lack of response" to it was more upsetting.
"None was asking the government. Suddenly we all became part of the government and all of us felt obligated to be part of something historic.... When institutions fail, individuals should stand up. There is no other way," he said at a public gathering here.
Nation-building takes a lot of persuasion, patience and a bit of coercion, Gopinanthan said adding more than the decision to do away with the special status, what happened after that was upsetting."The lack of response for it was more upsetting."
The 32-year-old officer of 2012 batch, who came into limelight after he hid his identity to join volunteers in relief work during the 2018 Kerala floods, had resigned last month while posted in Daman and Diu as Power Secretary.
"I had an issue with the Press Council of India saying it was okay with restrictions. Because media, the civil society and judiciary should do their job..., he said.
"People judge a decision by its effects, but the history judges decisions by the effects of its events. These days decisions are hailed as historic immediately after they are made without considering the second and third order effects," Gopinathan said.
He urged the public to demand transparency from the government, saying it was never supplied willingly.
The Kerala-born Gopinathan, who submitted resignation on August 21, had been asked by the government to resume duty and continue to work till his resignation was accepted.
His resignation, though, had made no mention of the Kashmir issue.
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Youngster, family members assaulted in Hubballi over alleged misconduct with girl; three injured
Hubballi: A youngster accused of misbehaving with a girl at a dance class and his family members were allegedly assaulted during a clash between two groups in Tumakuru Oni of Kamaripet area in Hubballi.
According to sources, a group confronted the youth, identified as Tilak, accusing him of behaving inappropriately with a girl at the dance class. The situation escalated after Tilak’s family members reached the spot and entered into an argument with the group.
As tensions grew, another group of around 50 to 60 people allegedly joined and attacked Tilak and his family members.
Three persons identified as Parashuram Nadiyada, Dileep Nadiyada and Tilak sustained serious injuries in the incident and were rushed to the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital in Hubballi for treatment.
The victims have alleged that they were mistaken to be Muslims and were also subjected to caste-based abuse during the assault.
Police from the Kamaripet station reached the spot, brought the situation under control and registered a case in this regard.
